Smoker



F. MLEKU'SH.

SMOKER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 25. 1919.

Patented Jan.13,1920.

IN VENTOR,

WITNESS: wwf f ATTQRNEX y' FRANCIS IWILEKUSH, OF RANKIN, PENNSYLVANIA.

sivioKEn.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 13, 1929.

Application ile July 25, 1919.' Serial No. 313,165.

To all whom z' may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANCIS MLExUsH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Rankin, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Smokers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to smokers, and more particularly to a device intended to cure meat and similar articles of food by smoking in the known manner.

One of the main objects of the invention is to provide a dev-ice of the character stated of simple construction and operation which may be readily produced at small cost. Anotherobject is to provide a smoker specially adapted to domestic use which is so constructed as to reduce the danger of fire to a minimum. Further objects will appear from the detailed description.

In the drawings Figure l is a front view of a smoker constructed in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is a central vertical sectional view through the smoker, the door being open.

In constructing my smoker I provide a sheet metal casing l of rectangular cross section which is supported and reinforced by corner angle strips 2. This casing is provided in its front wall with a doorway or opening adapted to be closed by a door 3.

hingedly secured to the casing, this door being normally held in closed position by a turn button L1. A short distance from its lower end, the casing is provided with two perforated plates 5 which extend the full cross area thereof, these plates being spaced apart to form a smoke cooling and smoke and air mixing compartment 7. Air is admitted to this compartment through openings 8 in the front and side walls of the cas` ing, these openings being covered by screen wire of 'fine mesh. The front wall of the casing, at the lower end thereof, is provided with an opening 10 adapted to permit a pan 11 to be slid into or removed from the bottom of the casing, this pan when in position being supported by bottom wall 12. The upper portion of pan 11 is disposed at an angle to the front wall thereof, as at 11a, and provides an air opening 13 extending the full width of the pan, and this front end portion is provided with spaced air inlet openings 14. The pan is adapted to contain sawdust. grain chaf lor any other suitable material which when ignited will burn slowly and generate the smoke for curing meat and similar articles suspended within the casing from transverse rods l5 which are secured to angle strips 16 extending across the side walls of the casing.

The smoke flows upwardly through the perforations of the lower plate 6 into the space or compartment 7 where it -is thoroughly mixed with air flowing through openings 8, this air serving to elfectually cool the smoke so as to prevent undesirable heating of the articles being cured in the casing. To insure thorough mixing of the air and smoke, the perforations of the upper plate 5 are staggered relative to the perforations .of lower plate 6 thus insuring twisting or whirling motion of the smoke and slightly retarding upwardflow thereofl so as to elfectually mix the smoke and the cool air flowing through openings 8. This relatively cool mixture of air and smoke then Hows through the perforations of plate 5 into the interior of the bodyof the casing and over and about the articles suspended therein, the smoke finally escaping through an outlet pipe 15 at the top of the casing. This pipe is provided with a damper 16 of known type for regulating the flow of smoke and air through the pipe.

p A smoking device constructed in this manner may be produced at small cost and is well adapted for domestic use. In addition. the burning material for producing the smoke is practically completely inclosed so that danger of fire is reduced to a minimum. The screen coverings 9 for the air openings 8 serve to effectually prevent sparks or lire from escaping through these openings while permitting free entry of cool air into the space or compartment 7 for the purpose stated. Y

YVhat I claim is:

l. In a device of the character' described,

'a casing, a pan fitting into the lower portion of said casing and adapted to contain fuel for generating smoke, said pan being provided with an air inlet opening for admitting air into pan across the top of the fuel, means for admitting air to the casing above the pan, and means for retarding up-' tion of said casing for containing smoke producing material, spaced perforated plates extending across the casing above the pan and disposed in spaced relation to each other, said casing being provided with air inlet openings between the plates, and adjustable means for permitting escape of smoke from the casing.

3. In a device ot the character described, a casing, a pan fitting into the lower portion of the casing and adapted to contain smoke producing fuel, two perforated plates extending across the easing above the pan, said plates being disposed in spaced relation and the per'orat-ions of one plate being staggered relative to the peif'orations of the other plate, the casingbeing provided With ir inlet openings betvveen saidplates, and means for regulating the escape of smoke from the casing.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

FRANCIS MLEKUSH. 

